Off the Shelf: Angela Spatafore Brings Back Popular Blog with National Library Card Sign-Up Month Focus
By Angela Spatafore on September 03, 2025
By Angela Spatafore
Welcome back to Off the Shelf!
September is an exciting time for libraries across the country as we celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month. If you have been meaning to get a library card, there is no better time.
To get a library card, you just need to visit the library or stop by our table at outreach events we attend with a photo ID and proof of your current local address. We will have you fill out a short application, and then you are all set! There is no minimum age to get a library card either, but those under the age of 18 will need a signature from a parent or guardian.
You can have your own art printed on a limited-edition library card! This year we are hosting a library card design contest, which is perfect for those creatives in our community. There are three age categories, and the public will vote for a winner from each category in early October. We accept both traditional and digital art provided they fit on the predesigned template. You can either stop at the library’s Help Desk for paper copies of the template or visit our website to
download the template straight to your computer.
download the template straight to your computer.
For the full list of rules, please visit our website: https://www.bplwv.org/ You can turn in your design to the Help Desk or email your design to me at aspatafore@bridgeportwv.gov.
We also take the library out into the community! You can find us at the Bridgeport Farmer’s Market on select Sundays, various local events, and outreach fairs. New for September—we will be at a different park in Bridgeport every Wednesday from 10-11 AM.
We will be setting up a pop-up library, where you can check out items from a small, curated collection or sign up for a library card as you gear up for your morning walk.
Here is the Pop-Up Library at the Parks schedule, which begins today:
- Deegan & Hinkle Lakes Park on September 3
- Bridgeport City Park on September 10 & 24
- Compton Park on September 17
Finally, next time you are at Great Harvest Bread & Cafe on Jerry Dove Drive, you can get 10% off--compliments of your library card! Show your library card at checkout to get the discount.
We hope to see you sometime during Library Card Sign-Up Month!
Editor's Note: Top photo shows the Mayor, members of City Council, and library staff holding up their library cards at the council meeting on Monday, August 28. At the meeting, Mayor Robert Matheny signed a proclamation for Library Card Sign-Up Month. The second image is to help design the next library card.
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